NOTE: This Play Guide may contain mild spoilers about the story of the show. If you like to be completely surprised by the play, you may wish to wait until after seeing it to read the Play Guide.

The Diary of Anne Frank

by Angela Case

» The Story: A brief synopsis of The Diary of Anne Frank
» Who’s Who: Characters in the play
» Feature: Healing Through Holocaust Drama


The Story

The Diary of Anne Frank begins in the very early hours of July 6, 1942, with 13-year-old Anne Frank and her family moving into the cramped upstairs of an office building in Amsterdam. As the family unpacks, Anne explains their situation. After Anne’s sister Margot was ordered by the Nazis to report for work in the Westerbork transit camp in Germany, the family decided to go into hiding to avoid persecution. Their hiding place, which Anne calls the “Secret Annex,” is a hidden wing of Mr. Frank’s former office building. Mr. Kraler and Miep, who run the office, have agreed to help the families while they are in hiding. Mr. and Mrs. Van Daan and their son, Peter, join the four Franks a few minutes later. As the two families settle in, Miep explains the precautions they must take: They must remain completely quiet between 8:00 and 6:00, when workmen occupy the building. During the evening and night hours, though, they are allowed to talk and interact just as they would at home. They are never permitted to go outside, or even look out the window.

A few days later, Miep and Mr. Kraler inform the Annex residents that a dentist named Alfred Dussel is in need of a safe place to hide, and asks if he may join them in the Annex. They agree, and Mr. Dussel moves into the Annex, bringing the number of people living in the cramped space to eight.

As the days and weeks drag on, the Annex residents try to keep their spirits up by playing games, listening to the radio, and visiting with Miep and Mr. Kraler, who bring them news and provisions every day. They even have a traditional Hanukkah celebration, complete with carefully crafted gifts from Anne for each of them.

To pass time in the Annex, Anne amuses herself by singing, dancing, and generally annoying the adults with her energetic optimism, as well as by teasing and flirting with Peter, a very shy boy three years her senior. At first he simply blushes and tries to avoid her, but as he gets used to it, be begins to enjoy Anne’s liveliness and free spirit.

After the Hanukkah celebration, the action of the play jumps ahead to January 1, 1944. The Franks and Van Daans have been in hiding for one year, five months and 25 days. Their health is suffering. They are all “thinner, paler and a lot hungrier.” However, they still try to be in good spirits, especially Anne, who is perfectly healthy. The relationship between Anne and Peter beings to develop from tolerance to friendship, and eventually to a budding romance.

A few months after the New Year, the families receive wonderful news: British and American forces have invaded Normandy. They are overjoyed: their liberation is imminent, and everything is sure to get better now. The next day, though, tragedy strikes. When a Nazi officer and two Dutch Collaborators storm the wooden staircase into the attic, chaos ensues. Even as she is being taken away, Anne remains optimistic, as she reads from her diary in a voiceover: “I still believe, in spite of everything, people are really good at heart.”


Who’s Who?

Mr. Otto Frank: Anne’s polite and practical father.

Mrs. Edith Frank: Anne’s cautious, nervous mother. Though she loves Anne, she wishes Anne was more proper and polite, like her sister Margot.
Margot Frank: Anne’s older sister. She is quiet, modest, and polite: the complete opposite of Anne.

Anne Frank: A lively, curious girl of 13. Anne remains optimistic throughout the play and always makes the best of the situation she is in. As her diary reveals, she is very introspective and creative, and has a vivid imagination.

Mr. Van Daan: A somewhat irritable former business partner of Mr. Frank whose family is staying in the Annex with the Franks.

Mrs. Van Daan: Mr. Van Daan’s finicky, particular wife.
Peter Van Daan: A shy, quiet boy with whom Anne flirts shamelessly.

Mr. Dussel: A friendly, easygoing dentist who shares a room in the Annex with Anne.

Miep: A very well-liked, generous secretary in Otto’s office who helps to protect the people in hiding. Mr. Kraler and Miep, provide an annex in their office for the refugees, as well as bringing them food, supplies and news from the outside world.

Mr. Kraler: A businessman who works with Miep to help protect the people in hiding.

 

Healing Through Holocaust Drama

The Diary of Anne Frank may be the best known, but many other plays have been written about the Holocaust.

The Investigation, by Peter Weiss, is a dramatic reenactment of the Frankfurt War Crimes trials. In the play, nameless witnesses recall their horrifying memories of Auschwitz, allowing the audience to experience the dreadful pain and suffering that occurred in the camp.

The Wall was written by Millard Lampell, based on a novel by John Hersey. It is a violent, dramatic chronicle of the fates of the Jews of Warsaw.

The Deputy, by Rolf Hochhuth, is a controversial story based on the playwright’s research of Pope Pius XXII’s response to the Nazi persecution of the Jews. The play accuses the pope of being unconcerned and uncompassionate toward the victims of the Holocaust.

Holocaust drama serves many purposes. First and foremost, it can be an aid in healing. Even people who were not directly affected by the Holocaust often carry intergenerational scars and are still troubled by the horrific event today. Drama about the Holocaust helps both survivors and their Jewish descendents to sort through the conflicting details and feelings in their minds. Because time and place can be represented in a condensed form in the theatre, whole life experiences can be summarized into a form the mind can more easily comprehend.

Furthermore, Holocaust plays give victims a sense of unity and motivation. Because Holocaust literature, particularly diaries such as Anne Frank’s, rose from an event that attempted to make literary expression impossible, it is a testament to the Jewish spirit that these documents were written and preserved. Most Holocaust diaries focused not just on individual experience, but the experiences of the entire Jewish community. Though victims such as Anne Frank wrote about their personal experiences, these experiences were shared by hundreds of thousands of people. Thus, the publishing of Holocaust literature and performing of Holocaust-based plays gives survivors a sense of community, and a feeling they are not alone in their struggles.

Drama also aids in healing by helping people to express feelings they would normally keep hidden. Many people find it easier to express their thoughts when they are behind a mask, acting under the pretense of “fiction” or “dramatization.” Through characters such as Anne Frank, survivors can express their thoughts and concerns anonymously, without fear of being judged or ridiculed.

Finally, Holocaust drama serves the purpose of keeping Jewish history alive. Without literature and drama, stories of the Holocaust would be forgotten, and the voices of victims and survivors would die. Silencing of these voices would ultimately signify a surrender to the Nazis. By keeping their stories alive, Holocaust survivors ensure the Nazis’ horrifying crimes against humanity will never be forgotten.